This article starts with a narrative of the 20 referendums performed in the period 1985-2009, indispensable to perceive the variety of motives, contexts and actors involved in the plebiscitary surge in the region. Next, the paper discusses several possibilities of classification, and analyzes what the added scenario from the universe of experiences suggests. A following point focuses on the tensions between democracy and liberalism, and on the relation between popular consultations and the political system. Conclusions are centered on the nature of Andean plebiscitary regimes.